All aboard!

Building roads, building bridges, building railroads. All are long-term investments in the economic recovery. President Barack Obama made that clear last week when he unveiled a plan to begin a system of high-speed rail service.

Such an endeavor would mean jobs, lots of them for the long term. In addition, it would relieve congestion, help clean the air, save energy and extend the life of highways and bridges.

Obama allocated $8 billion of the $787 billion economic stimulus package to begin to establish high-speed rail corridors across the nation. As the president pointed out, this is not new technology. Japan and countries in Europe have been using high-speed trains for years.

The Obama administration has selected 10 "potential high-speed rail corridors," including one that would link Tulsa and Oklahoma City with Dallas, Austin and San Antonio.

This is the kind of project that the stimulus needs. And it could be good news for Tulsa and Oklahoma. It's long-term, job-creating work that has the side effect of being good for the environment and helping relieve our dependence on foreign oil.